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Commentary on “Shiva”

Joanne Naiman

“Shiva” is a story about mourning the dead and moving on with life. It contains many of the issues that I grapple with in my connected stories;  a second-generation Jewish girl brought up in an affluent Long Island neighborhood is told she will always be safe and successful. But the shadow of the Holocaust hangs over even this world; the character is forced to realize safety is an illusion and antisemitism is always just around the corner. What will she do when she is faced with the world as it really is?

I  attended a Su Casa retreat; it was marvelous; filled with wonderful old hippies who put on a great Halloween show. During that weekend, I heard that several Su Casa people watched an Aryan rally in the area. I never knew what happened. But  I was inspired to write a scene with white supremacists threatening Su Casa characters. The story had its beginnings before Trump; but it took on new urgency once the Proud Boys etc. were wooed by this president. 

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Joanne Naiman is an attorney, who received a Clarion award for her legal journalism. Her work has appeared in, among other places, HuffPost and Fairlight Books’ short story of the week. She is a native and chronic New Yorker. 

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